The Whole30. What am I thinking?

It's taken me a couple weeks to wrap my brain around trying Whole30 and using that as my mechanism for getting my control back.  

I've tried and tried to get back to basics with Weight Watchers or following the FXB nutrition plan.  

It ain't working.  

I need something different.  Something serious.  Something big.  

Something that will help me to regain control.  Even if I don't lose a single pound or wear pants with a button ever again, I need to have my control back.  

My coworker is nearly finished with her first 30 day journey through Whole30.  She's the one who introduced me to the idea.  At first, I completely disregarded this program - "no way, no how, not for me."  Give up cheese?  Puh-shaw!  No bread - not even my "healthy, multi-grain" stuff?  You're kidding, right? NO DIET COKE?  😱 No.  Just, no.

And then I had a few very bad eating days - in the daylight, daytime zombie eating - and realized, it's now or never.  It was kind of a hit me square in the face moment, much like when I joined Weight Watchers in the first place. 

The Whole30 is meant to do a lot of things.  Detox your body from sugars and processed food chemicals and all sorts of other junk.  By getting your body and guts cleaned up, it will do so many things in addition to getting my control back - improved immune system, reduced inflammation and what I'm most excited about, clearer complexion.  My skin has looked worse than a adolescent teenager's for going on 2 years now.  I'm over it.  

I've been doing a little research.  Chatting with my coworker.  Reading a couple books.  Stockpiling recipes.  Building an arsenal of information.  

And freaking out.  But in an excited sort of way!  Right?  Yeah, let's go with that.

The main premise of The Whole30 is to eat clean, whole foods in order to get your body to a "clean slate" environment.  You eliminate foods that are typically considered triggers (mental, physical and emotional ones) for (at least) 30 days.  All the while, keeping track of how you feel (energy, sleep, skin, joints, etc).  Then, after that, you systematically reintroduce these foods and see what it does to influence those same attributes.

Here's the summary of what you eliminate:

No dairy - no cream in my coffee, no yogurt, no CHEESE!  

No legumes - no peanut butter!  No beans, no hummus!  (But wait, that stuff's healthy, right??)

No sugar - no splenda in my coffee, no baked goods (not even my kick ass "healthy" banana bread), no CHEWING GUM!

No grains - no bread, no rice, no quinoa

And. 

NO DIET COKE.  😭

In case it wasn't already obvious, that one has me a little bit sideways.  Which, according to the support literature I'm reading, is a ginormous, HUGE, red flag that I need to give it up.  

So, I officially start this thing on Wednesday.  Why Wednesday?  Well, first, I still have some more reading to do on the specifics of the program.  Second, I have a lot food in my fridge that isn't "compliant" that will go bad before I get to the reintroduction phase.  I really hated to waste it.  So I compromised - I'll pitch a few things, eat up a few things and give myself a couple more days to get organized.

T-minus 2 days!